Reading and writing table



March 19, 1940. w. B. LOVE READING AND WRITING TABLE Filed July 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR PVHB lake love.

Mac 19, 1940. B, L V I 2,193,907

READING AND WRITING TABLE Filed July 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 =-;uawvu;u: 1- l J? 5 I? W 9 a. m 14 .9 10

l5 .4 15 Blczice llave ygg www Patented Mar. 19, 1940 u UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,193,907 i I v READING AND WRITING TABLE Wilbert Blake Love, Mountain Lake Parkman Application July 21, 1938, Serial No. 221,550

2 Claims. (01. 45 -60) This invention relates to a reading and writing The table preferably comprisesa tripod type of table especially intended for use by invalids who stand 2 having three legs 3 two of which may be are forced to lie in bed, but may be used by anyplaced parallel with the bed and the third of one desiring to read or write in a lying down or ,which may project under the bed so as to obstruct '5 reclining position. 1 the space alongside the bed as little as possible.

Many persons are either temporarily or perma- The tripod carries an upright'rigid tube 4. Into nently afilicted in such a way that they have the this tube there is telescoped a supporting memfree use of their arms but are unable to be in any ber 5 which is also preferably of tubular conpositi.on other than a lying down position or a struction, the upright 4 having a hand-screw B by reclining position. Such persons find it very means of which the support 5 may" be adjustably 10 diflicult to write letters or to read because of the clamped at any desired vertical elevation. The necessity of continuously holding the paper or support 5 carries a rigid horizontal arm 1. The book in an inverted position above them. Espetray .or table designated generally as 8 is carried cially in writing is this diflilcult because the paper on this horizontal arm. It is. supported in such must be supported on some rigid backing which manner that it may rotate about the arm as an 15 also has to be held up. Persons afllicted in this axis and be adjustably clamped in the position to way can write only to a very limited extent and which it is rotated. I their arms quickly tire in reading so that their The table or tray 8 comprises a smooth panel 9 enjoyment from this source is very limited. Inof wood or other suitable material. Around this valids who cannot use their arms may have a panel is an upstanding frame or ledge Ill. At one 20 reading material supported before them and an side of the table or tray 8 is a plate ll having an attendant may turn the pages. opening therethrough of a sizeto fit about the The present invention provides a bedside table horizontal arm 1 of the stand. Secured to the into which a single sheet of writing paper or a other side of the tray is a generally similar plate thick book, or a large magazine, or any other l2 having a smaller opening therethrough. The 25 reading or writing material can be placed and end of the tubular arm 1 is provided with a cap rigidly held in any convenient position to be used la at its free outer end, and this cap abuts t e by the invalid. The paper or book is held sta-' inner face of the plate I2. -Within the inner end tionary and the patient can quickly adapt himof the arm 1 is an internally threaded bushing self to writing almost as easily as if he were sitor nut 1b. The threaded stem l3 of a hand- 30 ting upright with the paper on a desk below him wheel l4 passes through an opening in the plate in the normal way. The present invention furl2 and threads into the bushing or nut 1b. By ther contemplates the use of holding means for tightening up on the hand-wheel M, the plate 12 retaining the book or paper in position which will will be frictionally clamped between shoulder Ma accommodate itself to articles of different sizes on the stem of the hand-wheel and the terminal 35 and thicknesses, but the holding means is also cap la on the arm 1. This is merely typical of of such a character that it will not obscure any one type of clamping adjustment that can be used part of the printed page and need not interfere for holding the table at d ff eswith the area of the paper which is being used Secured to the frame Ill, preferably at two sides for writing. and one end thereof, are paper and book holding 40 The invention may be readily understood by clips I5. These clips, which are preferably reference to the accompanying drawings in which formed of relatively stiff flat spring metal are Fig. l is a side elevation of a table embodying pivotally attached to the frame at one end. If my invention illustrating how the same may be the tray is made of wood, screws [6 may be used used by an invalid; for securing the clips in place. The clips are 45 Fig. 2 is a plan view on a larger scale of the outwardly bowed to give them added resilience face of the table or tray which is turned toward and they have free terminal portions which are the user; rounded, these terminal portions being desig- Fig. 3 is a perspective View .of the table and nated 15a. The clips are preferably arranged in stand; I pairs, the two clips of each pair being separated 50 Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a portion of the several inches. The clips can be swung around table or tray on a substantially full sized scale to a position parallel with the frame and sprung and showing in detail the clamping means for upwardly to rest on the frame. For holding a holding the table at the angle to which it may book or paper of small size, they are swung out be adjusted. to the position shown in Fig. 2 where they are 55 LED perpendicular to the frame on which they are mounted. If they project over the printing in a book, for example, they can be swung to a proper angle so that the terminal portions will rest in only the margins of the book. It is not, of course, necessary that all of the clips be used at all times, the number of clips employed depending largely on what is being clipped against the face of the tray or what the operator finds convenient to use. The tray is preferably of a dimension such that it may hold a large magazine, while the clips l5 are of sufiicient length that they may swing in to hold an ordinary sheet of writing paper. In reading a book, for example, the pages may be easily pulled from under the clips and inserted under other clips, particularly where the clips are set to overhang only the margins of the book. In many cases the tray may be in a substantially vertical position in which the book will rest on one of the frame strips Ill; i. e., the lowermost strip as shown in Fig. 2, and only the two lowermost clips are required to hold the pages from turning.

A suitable reading lamp i1 is attached to the ledge IU of the tray as indicatedin Figs. 1 and 3. The lamp is arranged so that the light rays therefrom shine on the tray but not in the eyes of the reclining person.

The stand for supporting the tray is preferably formed of relatively heavy tubular metal with the spread of the tripod being substantial so that the standard Willnot move in turning the pages of a book. While the table has its principal usefulness for invalids who have to be in a lying down or generally reclining position. it may also be used by persons who desire to read in a send-reclining position without holding the book. The tray can also be inverted to be used as a sick room table,

While I have specifically illustrated and described one particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration and that Various changes and modifications may be made in the construction within the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A reading and writing desk for reclining persons comprising a stand, a vertically adjustable support on the stand having a horizontal arm thereon, a tray pivotally supported on said arm for rotation about the arm as an axis, said pivotal support including a plate extending from the tray at the free end of said arm, clamping means for clamping the plate to the end of the arm for releasably holding the tray in any selected position to which it may be rotated, and means on the tray for holding books and papers against the tray when the tray is inverted.

2. A reading and writing table for use by reclining persons comprising a tray having a panel and a frame surrounding the panel, resilient sheet metal spring clips pivotally secured to the frame and arranged to be projected over the panel and also to be moved into a position over the frame clear of the panel, means supporting the tray in an upside down position, said clips being arranged along two sides and one end of the tray in spaced pairs.

W. BLAKE LOVE. 

